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Sour Cherry & Vanilla Scones

July 16, 2017

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I really adore scones. To me a scone is better than a piece of cake or a pie. It's like a cross between the two, and such a delight to enjoy with a nice hot cuppa. Don't worry, I only drink herbal infusions which I drink black, so nothing to take away from the delightful flavour of a good scone! Having said that even when I did drink ordinary tea, I always enjoyed it black and unsweetened.

I am always on the lookout for a new scone recipe and when I spied this recipe for Vanilla Scones the other day on a blog called Stuck on Sweet, they pushed all my buttons, and I just knew that I was going to have to bake them!

I adapted the measurements to UK measurements so no worries on that score if you live in Europe or the UK. I did find the dough to be a bit wet, whereas she had said that the dough was a bit crumbly.That could be a difference in the flour, or the fact that she did not specify a size of egg. I used a large. Our eggs could be even larger over here than they are in North America. I don't know for sure. (That's why baking by weight is so much more accurate folks!)

The sticky dough did not present a problem for me. I simply tipped it out onto a well floured board, patted it into a round and then flipped the round over before cutting it into wedges. When I say well-floured, I mean well floured. I am sure I had about 1/2 cup of flour on that board, so nothing would stick. It worked beautifully.

I also decided to add some chopped sour cherries to the mix because, one I like them, a lot, and two . . . vanilla . . . it just begged to have some kind of dried fruit added.

I also chose to use a mix of pure vanilla extract and some grindings from a vanilla grinder. Oh boy but these smelled heavenly when they were baking. I ground some of that vanilla into the glaze also!

These are light and sweet with a lovely buttery flavour and lots of vanilla oomph. The tartness of the sour cherries sets that all off beautifully. Wise choice on my part!

Because my dough was quite damp, I did end up with some craggy bits, but to me that's all the better because it made for lovely little sweet crevices for that glaze to soak into. All in all . . . these are really prize worthy, blue ribbon winning, delightfully tasty scones!

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper set aside.

Sift
the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in the
sugar. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your finger tips until
crumbly. Stir in the sour cherries. Beat together the egg, milk and
vanilla. Add to the dry mixture and stir to combine to make a soft
sticky dough. Tip onto a generously floured board and pat out to an 8
inch circle. Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges. (Cut cross wise
into equal quarters and then cut each quarter in half) Carefully move
onto the prepared baking tray.

Bake for 10 to 14
minutes until well risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven. Let
cool on the tray for a few minutes before lifting onto a wire rack to
cool.

Whisk all of the glaze ingredients together
until smooth and spoonable. Spoon over the scoons and allow to set
completely before serving.

Its recipes like this that make me really grateful that I live in a fairly temperate climate where you only have a few days in the summer that make turning on the oven unbearable. And if you do live in a climate where its hotter than that, bake them anyways. They are well worth a few minutes of discomfort. Trust me on this. Bon Appetit!

4 comments:

Hi Marie, I love a good scone recipe too! I wonder if she was scooping her flour instead of filling the measuring cup and leveling? (how I always do it) If she scooped it adds more flour. Sometimes I hold back a bit of the milk + egg mixture, just a touch, for patting on top of the scones for a nice golden look. Maybe that would help them not be as wet?

Could be Mary. I always bake by weight. It didn't matter really because they turned out beautifully just the way I made them, even if the dough was a bit sticky. Holding a bit of the wet back would certainly help with that also. They were gorgeous nonetheless! xo

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About Me

Marie Rayner

Canadian ex pat deliciously living and cooking in the UK. I cook and eat every day. I like to take pictures of it and then share it with you!

How I got Here

Welcome to my English Kitchen. I moved over here to England from Canada in the year 2000. Before I arrived, I was told that the cooking and food over here was awful, except for the Roast Beef and the Fish and Chips. I had no idea of what to expect, but it didn't sound good.
I landed at Heathrow with a bulging suitcase full of kitchen tools, handwritten recipes and a 4 litre can of Maple Syrup, totally prepared to be greeted with the worst.
I am happy to say that over the past 17 years I have discovered that most of what I had heard was totally and completelywrong!
Here in the UK we have some of the best poultry, meats, fishes, ingredients and produce in the world, and some of the most innovative chefs. I have learned so much about cooking in the past fifteen years, and I've enjoyed trying and experiencing many new things, thankfully most of them wonderfully delicious!
I love English food . . . both the traditional, and the wonderful blend that is modern British Cuisine . . . a delicious mixture of a variety of tastes and cultures.
I hope you'll come along with me as I explore all the wonderful tastes, sights and textures that England has to offer even the most discerning of palates.

Contact Me

If you have any questions or want to work with me, feel free to e-mail me at mariealicejoan@aol.com

Colour me Chuffed

Thank You

TWEET

Did You Know???

Make Your Own Self Raising Flour:You can make your own self raising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of plain flour.

Make Your Own Baking Powder:You can make your own baking powder by combining 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda with 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar. It's ideal for coeliac sufferers who can't find the gluten-free variety of this raising agent, but measure it out carefully because too much or too little can upset a recipe's balance.

Make Your Own Mixed Spice:You can easily make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

Make Your Own Cajun Seasoning: Mix together 2 1/2 TBS of salt, 1 TBS dried oregano leaves (Rub to a powder using your fingertips), 1 TBS sweet paprika, 1 TBS cayenne pepper, and 1 TBS ground black pepper. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to six months.Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice: Mix together 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp ground allspice, 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of ground mace or ground cardamom. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.